The Truth About Writing A Book

It is hard.

It takes time.

It takes focus.

It takes patience.

It takes determination.

It takes perseverance.

Writing a book is often romanticized as a labor of love, an imaginative journey carried out in quiet solitude.

The truth about writing a book is that it's not a walk in the park. It requires dedication, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to see the process through. 

My journey started when I attended a speaking engagement and the speakers with books got a lot of attention. I decided then and there to also write a book. Deciding what I wanted to write about was easy - Shopify. I was inspired by my clients who needed guidance with their Shopify stores.

The idea was to write the book in 30 days, publish it and be famous. Well, 9 months later, the book was finished and published. It was a terrible and exhilarating feeling. I did my due diligence and shot up to #1 on Amazon within a week.

While I was writing and laboring away, I was told I shouldn't expect my books to make money but to use them as a marketing tool.

But I fell in love with writing. The next step would be understanding how to make money writing. 

Although, there's definitely an important mindshift thinking of your book as a product and not as just a creative output.

Getting a fresh perspective where you see your book not merely as a creative output, but as a tangible product, can significantly change your approach towards promotions and sales. By detaching yourself from the personal feelings about your book, you view your book more objectively as a marketable commodity.

This piece is not about focused on methods or content of writing, but rather explores ideas of how to generate income.

Why publishing is easier than ever.

Publishing a book is easier than ever—not to mention cheaper and more convenient.

With KDP Amazon and other self-publishing platforms, anyone can publish a books and make them available for customers to buy within days. In the past you would have to order 1000 - 2000 books to start selling a book that is cost effective.

The publishing game has changed. With Amazon, you can publish your book for free—all you have to do is take the time to format it correctly and upload it.

This implies that you can bypass the steps of submitting your manuscript to publishers, bracing for a stream of rejections due to a lack of fame for mega-sales, or investing massive sums in a publishing company primarily interested in collaborating with proven bestselling authors.

Moreover, relinquishing your work to publishers often means surrendering much of your control over the end result. It necessitates placing faith in the publisher and optimistically anticipating a favorable outcome.

However, self-publishing flips the script: you're the boss. There's no need to seek anybody else's green light or validation (aside from perhaps a proofreader and editor). You have the freedom to craft your book precisely to your liking, which is absolutely fabulous!

Let me share an anecdote about a friend who went the traditional publishing route. For every book sold, he earns $1; on the other hand, I rake in between $3 to $9+ per book. However, there's a catch: he's essentially hands-off!

I run my self-publishing like a business, which means I'm fully engaged in branding, social media, email outreach, website management, and all the other marketing aspects essential for business growth.

10 Ideas to generate money with a book as an author.

Writing a book isn't just about creating an incredible story or sharing invaluable knowledge - though that's a big part of it! It can also be a fantastic avenue to earn income in some pretty creative ways. So, I've put together a list of ten ideas for how you, yes you, can turn your labor of love into a money-making venture. Ready? Let's dive in!

1. Publish your book in different formats like eBook (Kindle, Apple Play, Google, Kobo, Nook), paperback and hardcover versions.

2. Sell your books in different marketplaces. Don't limit yourself to Amazon.Consider selling your books on a website, online store, eBay, IngramSparks, Barnes & Noble, etc., to name a few.

3. Develop videos or micro-lessons based on your book's content. For instance, explain the moral of your story, providing a book overview, teach an action in your book, show how to write a book, etc. This is great for fiction and. nonfiction books.

4. Sell related accessories like journals, t-shirts, stickers, and book cards - the same idea.  Consider how the Harry Potter series created a whole slew of products.

5. Curate a gift box filled with items mentioned in your book. This could lead to an amazing giveaway during a lengthy promotional period, say 6 to 8-week or even 6-months.

6. Gift cards are a great idea for special holidays like Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, etc. These can be easily made available if you operate an online store.

7. Create an audiobook version of your work. With the growing popularity of platforms like Audible, an audiobook can tap into a different segment of the audience and generate additional revenue.

8. Write a series of your book. Readers who love your first book are more likely to buy your next book.

9. Leverage affiliate marketing by recommending products or services related to your books content with links in your book and on your website and earn a commission through your referral links.

10. Translate your book to a different languages. This expands your potential reader base to non-English speaking markets, thus increasing the potential for more sales.

There are more ideas but these will keep you busy. 

You know, having a great book is one thing, but turning that book into a steady income stream? Well, that's a whole different ballgame.

That's where your tools come into play - and one of the most essential ones is a website.

You might be wondering, "Why a website?" Well, buckle up, because I'm about to share some insights into why a website can be your best friend when it comes to making money from your book.

6 Reason why you need a website

In todays digital landscape, having an attractive, easy-to-navigate website can make all the difference. Think of it like this: your website isn't just a marketing tool for your book (although it's fantastic for that, too!). It's also a sturdy bridge between you and your readers, helping you share your journey and build your unique brand as an author.

Here's why I truly believe every writer should have a website:

1. You get paid immediately: Amazon pays your royalties only in 90 days. If you had your website as a store, you could sell books and accessories and get paid in 3 days!

2. Selling directly to your readers allows you to keep all the profits, instead of sharing them with retailers or distributors.

3. Your website is a great tool for establishing your author brand. It gives you a platform to tell your story, showcase your expertise, and create a visual identity that can help attract and retain readers.

4. You can create a personal connection to your readers through email, newsletters, contact forms and chats. 

5. Collecting email addresses with a newsletter signup form on your website, creates a valuable marketing tool to inform your readers of new releases, promotions and updates. 

6. On your website, you can also sell related merchandise, offer consulting services, or generate revenue through advertising or affiliate marketing.

 ADVERTISING

Here are some ideas to create fans of your readers:

1. You can surprise your readers with a small can gift item before they get the book. 

2. Send them a discount email or card for the next order.

3. Give away a free chapter of your next book

4. Invite them to a free webinar or Q&A workshop.

5. Maybe give them a workbook if it is nonfiction.

6. Add them to a prize giveaway that you are running (great idea).

This is a way to create raving fans who will buy your next book. 

Can you trademark your book?

Part of a brand is a trademark that will identify your business to your customers if you think of Mcdonald's and how it has been recognized worldwide. 

You can trademark your name or products if you have a business. You cannot trademark a title of a book. Unfortunately, I cannot trademark my name because I will compete with Veronica Beard's Jeans, for instance. My books are about Shopify, and you can bet Shopify has trademarked them. If you do business internationally, you will have to trademark for every country that you do business in. However, an international entity can take care of 80 countries.

The international application simplifies the process of applying for foreign trademarks, but it does not guarantee that a particular country will agree to register your trademark. Each country has its own laws and standards regarding what types of trademarks can be registered. There is no such thing as an “international trademark” that is good everywhere.

Plan ahead!

When you're thinking about publishing a book, you need to be planning ahead so that you don't end up scrambling to put together a website, figure out how to sell the book on Amazon and other places, and think about how you're going to brand yourself as an author all at the same time!

That is why I built my business on Shopify. It started as something I needed to learn because I am an Ecommerce coach. But I discovered how easy it was to have all my ducks in one pond. I did not have to create a separate website, a blog, or a shopping cart. In Shopify. it is all in one place. Even my marketing tools and financial records are part of the Shopify. system. I now have my courses on Shopify as well and don't need course platforms like Kajabi or Thinktific for instance, which is all an added expense for my business.

Different Ways To Sell Books in Shopify.

I have different ways I sell my book in my Shopify store. Before I made my decision, I tested the various outlets or POD to see the quality of the printed books. Then I did a profit analysis to see the best option for my profit margin and how long the fulfillment took with each printing option.

I did discover that fulfillment times with all the PODs were the same; some varied at different times, but there was no clear winner.

I tested both Lulu Direct, which is an App in Shopify, and Amazon KDP. With LuluDirect, you can attach a payment option and your books are automatically printed and shipped. But they are double the price of Amazon KDP. This would be a great option if you had a lot of orders.

Or, I order an author copy from Amazon KDP, add the customer address, add a gift message, and ship it out via local Amazon internationally. It takes a bit more effort, but you make more money.

I also have access to other POD (print-on-demand) services like clothes, home accessories, or simple print options like journals, cards, mugs, etc.

So whatever your decision, look at the numbers and what suits you.

Tools I use:

Writing & Formatting software:

Vellum: Vellum is great for publishing your book into different formats and my last edits are in Vellum.

Atticus: Software for writing and formatting.

Marketplaces for books:

• KDP - Amazon: for publishing your book on Amazon.
• IngramSparks
• Draft2Digital

Video, Graphics & Branding: 

Ecamm: Video creation for my courses and Live promotions.

Wave.video: Great tool for creating different types of videos, editing and storage.

Canva: Create images, gifs etc for your brand.

Website & Store:

Shopify: Online store for selling your books and accessories.

It has been an amazing journey to build my business brand and my authority online.

If you have questions, let's chat: https://veronicajeans.online/calendar